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Whether you want to start working out, lose weight, quit smoking, or just want to take the first steps towards a heathier life, this is your place to swap tips, ideas and and generally find support towards reaching your healthy life goals!

Date: 1/13/2009 9:02:39 AMAuthor: geckodaniSo, I want opinions from you all on something. There''s a YMCA right near my home that I could go to after work and before I even get to the apartment. BUT - I can only afford to do Weight Watchers Online OR the YMCA membership.

Now, I''m of the opinion that I''d probably get more out of the Y - I''ve done WW so many times that I think I could do it in my sleep. And I usually focus more on the filling foods/Core than on counting points. I know how to eat. The lack of movement is really my downfall.

So... WW or the YMCA?

I gonna vote for the YMCA....

You should go to the YMC - A-A...

They have everything there that you need to get fit...And I know you will enjoy it.....

YMCA!

YMCA- A...

You can do cardioOr even try a few weightsSo you can drop those few pounds you ha-ate!

* slinks off....*

Steph. Lorelei - I''m leaning that way myself. Especially if I could get the hubby to meet me there.....

Date: 1/13/2009 9:02:39 AMAuthor: geckodaniSo, I want opinions from you all on something. There''s a YMCA right near my home that I could go to after work and before I even get to the apartment. BUT - I can only afford to do Weight Watchers Online OR the YMCA membership.

Now, I''m of the opinion that I''d probably get more out of the Y - I''ve done WW so many times that I think I could do it in my sleep. And I usually focus more on the filling foods/Core than on counting points. I know how to eat. The lack of movement is really my downfall.

So... WW or the YMCA?

I gonna vote for the YMCA....

You should go to the YMC - A-A...

They have everything there that you need to get fit...And I know you will enjoy it.....

YMCA!

YMCA- A...

You can do cardioOr even try a few weightsSo you can drop those few pounds you ha-ate!

* slinks off....*

Steph. Lorelei - I''m leaning that way myself. Especially if I could get the hubby to meet me there.....

Bwaahahahaha...and ditto. I have an elliptical at home and a Y membership, I also jog outdoors. The membership has been great for motivation and I really enjoy going. I feel like I''m doing something special and good for me when I''m there and I really enjoy that. I don''t get much time alone and that''s my way of carving it into my day.

So, I want opinions from you all on something. There''s a YMCA right near my home that I could go to after work and before I even get to the apartment. BUT - I can only afford to do Weight Watchers Online OR the YMCA membership.

Now, I''m of the opinion that I''d probably get more out of the Y - I''ve done WW so many times that I think I could do it in my sleep. And I usually focus more on the filling foods/Core than on counting points. I know how to eat. The lack of movement is really my downfall.

So... WW or the YMCA?

I gonna vote for the

YMCA....

You should go to the YMC - A-A...

They have everything there that you need to get fit...

And I know you will enjoy it.....

YMCA!

YMCA- A...

You can do cardio

Or even try a few weights

So you can drop those few pounds you ha-ate!

* slinks off....*

Steph. Lorelei - I''m leaning that way myself. Especially if I could get the hubby to meet me there.....

Bwaahahahaha...and ditto. I have an elliptical at home and a Y membership, I also jog outdoors. The membership has been great for motivation and I really enjoy going. I feel like I''m doing something special and good for me when I''m there and I really enjoy that. I don''t get much time alone and that''s my way of carving it into my day.

Marcy, J is a healthy weight, he actually never weighed more than 125 pounds until he was 20 or so because reflux wasn''t a known illness when he was a kid. He was reading up on reflux and it''s induction of an asthma-like state (coughing, difficulty breathing, etc.). Food doesn''t seem to influence his reactions, seasons do have an effect, he''s always worse in the winter. I feel really bad for him. He seems better this morning. Your pizza sounds delicious!

Gecko and Steph, thanks for the get well wishes for John. It''s wierd seeing him sick, he''s such a toughy, he never lets it show when he doesn''t feel good so when he does I know he''s feeling pretty awful.

Holly, I love Jackie Warner''s Workout. I don''t do it very often but it''s a great routine.

Zoe, you could absolutely complete a 5K. Congrats on being a godmother.

Geck, yes the Y does have free childcare but I don''t want to take her during cold/flu season. But I think I will start going when DH comes home with my neighbor. I need a buddy to motivate me b/c I am lazy! I think you will get more our of the Y than WW too. WW info can be found pretty easily for free.

lliang, it does but I don''t want to take her until the spring. I think I will go when DH gets home (even though I am SO tired by the time 7 pm rolls around)

*****************************************Expectations are nothing but premeditated resentments.

Thank you all so much for the compliments. I do feel really positive. I actually had a treat tonight...BREAD! I had some weight watchers bread with my soup for tea. That was one of my biggest food problems...I ate far too much bread but from last Monday up until today I have had 3 slices in a week. Gone was toast for breakfast...in were the Shreddies. I intend to carry on with a greatly reduced intake of bread.

I would reply to you all individually but I have falllen rather behind even in one day.

But I really do appreciate the comments, they all keep me going. THANK YOU GUYS AND GALS!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chee-Chee and Rawse joined the married club on August 26th 2009! Loving life as a very happy newlywed!

I rested my sore body last night. For dinner, I made whole wheat pasta with a mushroom tomato sauce. Served it with a simple salad and fat free balsamic dressing. I''ve been trying to incorporate more vegeterian meals in our diet. It''s funny how a serving of pasta can seem SO tiny compared to the ginormous portions you get when you go out to eat it. So it doesn''t look weird, I serve pasta in a small bowl. I still think it looks inadequate but after I''m finished, I realize that the portion size is perfect. FI doesn''t like the way whole wheat pasta but I love the texture and nuttiness of it. For dessert, I had a bar of soy chocolate "ice cream" from Trader Joe''s. It''s incredibly good for 90 calories.

Dragonfly, I like your new challenge! Good for you for getting in a workout even though you had a ton of homework!

Apple, thanks for the recipes! You''re so good with your lunch workouts!

Cnd, YAY for being down 2.2 pounds! Woo-hoo!!! Yes, everything in moderation. Sounds like you had a great weekend!

Tacori, YAY for walks! I know you can get back into the gym!

DeeJay, your PT sounds awesome! I heart Whole Foods. Just wish it wasn''t so hard on the pocket book.

Holly, sounds like you''re doing great! I''ve found lots of good deals on exercise stuff at Marshall''s and the like. Those are great places to go without spending a ton.

ILE, YAY for 5am workouts! I admire those who can do that!

Rod, glad to hear your training session went well. Your evening sounds so relaxing. Have a good workout tonight!

Kim, sorry J had a hard night. Glad to hear he''s doing better.

Marcy, Mmmmm... pizza. Did you make the crust? You''re so lucky that your mom made your wedding dress! I''m loving a particular Vera Wang dress but just can''t bring myself to spend that kind of money on a dress for a day, even for my wedding! I''m gonna keep looking and see if I can find something that''ll make me feel equally purdy without blowing my budget. Glad to hear you''re keeping warm. The Santa Ana winds are blowing and it''s been in the high 70''s here.

Zoe, glad you''re back! Congrats on being a new god mother. Your 5k dream can totally come true if you put your mind and body to it!

Steph, you and ILE, doing the 5am workouts! Good for you for getting out of bed for it. YAY for staying away from the sugar!

Geckodani, I posted the soup recipe in the recipe thread. Glad you''re not letting 2 pounds up get to you. It''ll be gone soon! I also vote for joining the Y!

Hi Friends, sound like people are doing great, losing weight or making healthy changes so kudos for everyoneI went to Costco and found they yummy things called Healthy Choice Steamers about 7 points each (Weight watchers) or 300 calories and they are big; they have no preservatives (huge plus) and taste fresh (they were giving out samples) which convinced me to buy them. here is a link on what I am talkin about. http://www.healthychoice.com/products/meals/cafe_steamers.jsp So I bought them for dinners when I am not inspired to figure out what to cook. heheI also, scored some sweaters at Target for 50% off which made it a good day, woo hoo!

I am going to do the 30 min Shred tonight! dvd. Oh on a cute note my sister called me saying the past 2 days (his grandma, my sis MIL) watches him and he cried because he wanted to come to my house. Maybe I can watch him more often. I will come back and post a little later.

eta: bonus, score, all the above, yay my tennis shoes came by mail just now; I needed new shoes so I ordered some Asics and they just got here via UPS, woo. happy day happy day

Great job friends!!!

Skippy

"The only things that stand between a person and what they want in life are the will to try it, and the faith to believe it's possible" Rich Devos

Hi everyone!Is it Friday yet?Poor Marty has something wrong with his neck and shoulder.He woke up with it.He has a friend who is a masseuse and he came over with some things to try and help loosen it up and help the pain.Poor guy.Zoe, I hate computer problems.How sweet to be a godmother.That is very special.I hope your 5K run in your dreams sped up your metabolism.That would be great.Steph, yay for getting up at 5 and working out.Isn’t it amazing how you kind of lose your taste for really sweet things?I find I don’t care for coke as much as I did before.It was one of my favorites.I agree homemade pizza is so good and better for you.Ham and pineapple is one of my favorite pizzas too.Gecko, you’ll lose those few pounds in no time.I usually go up a pound or two over the weekend but it comes back off since I am usually very good during the week.It is funny how clothes shrink.One place where I buy a lot of tops seem to come with directions to lay flat to dry instructions and I’ll forget – most of them are now about 3 to 4 inches shorter.Rats.The cords were a department store brand and I got them on sale so I guess I shouldn’t be shocked they shrank.Next winter I think I will pick up some of the more expensive cords.These should make it through this cold and windy winter for me.I’d do the Y if I was you.You can use us to exchange ideas and to report what you ate.We are more fun and cheaper.Lliang, a day of pizza sounds fun.I love pizza that is why I make one about once a month for us.Appletini had the broken oven.Sorry to hear your oven broke.Can they fix it?Appletini, sounds like you had a great workout.That has got to feel good.Lorelei, is it warmer in your gym?Kimi, I didn’t mean to imply J needed to lose weight – I was explaining how Marty’s problem improved as he dropped weight.I hope I didn’t offend you.That is awful J has had problems so long with it.Marty was so bad sometimes water would make it act up.I hope J feels better today.Tacori, Tessa will be wanting to walk herself soon.You’ll probably get in more steps that way but just take a longer time on your walk.Merry, I haven’t tried WW bread.I like the Sara Lee 45 calorie whole wheat or whole grain bread.It’s pretty good.Miscka, good for you working towards a 5K for the race for the cure.Panda, we had whole wheat pasta for supper too.We have enough for lunch and I made some bread sticks too.Yummy.For my pizza last night I used the jiffy pizza dough mix but sometimes I make it from scratch and sometimes I use the Pillsbury canned pizza dough (thin crust). My mom offered to make my wedding dress or buy it and I wanted her to make it. My mom and sisters are beautiful seamstresses.I can sew but nothing like them.Have fun shopping for your dress.Enjoy those Santa Ana winds for me.We must have arctic winds here.Skippy, I picked up some of those healthy choice meals too but haven’t tried one yet.I thought they’d be good to keep at work for days I might need lunch and forgot to pack it or don’t have time to go get one.That is awesome your nephew cried because he wants to come to your house.See, you are his favorite.Yay for new shoes.I ordered some too but I think I might need a smaller size.Have a great evening. Marcy

Hey.........I didn''t go to the gym tonight. After I signed off from the HLT last night, I did a dumb thing and checked my work email. There waiting for me was an email from a client letting me know the placement for a guy I''ve been working with for the last 3 months wasn''t going to happen. After wasting this guy''s time and flying him out for a 2 day interview, they cancelled the position. It really got to me as the candidate was so counting on this job and I was too. I''m afraid it bothered me so much, I simply couldn''t go to sleep and I tossed and turned all night. I mean all night. As in, I didn''t get any sleep whatsoevver. I was just dragging at work and the thought of even trying to take on a 3 hour workout was more than I could handle. Charlie''s owrking tonight, so I just stopped by the store on my way home and bought a baked chicken. I''m just sitting here watching the American Idol auditions. It''s hard to believe the new season of AI is starting already......Since I didn''t go to the gym tonight, I''m going to go tomorrow and Thursday. I don''t like to do two ''uber'' workouts in a row, but I''m not willing to miss a workout this week. I''m going to make sure I take something to relax me so I can get a real night''s sleep tonight.

Kimberly, I''m sorry John''s having difficulty with acid reflux. Please give him my best. When I was Fat Rod, I was on prescription Nexium. That all ended when I lost the weight, starting eating healthy foods and started working out. Have a good workout tomorrow before work!

Yummmmmm to homemade pizza Marcy. Pizza is one of my weaknesses, so I only allow it once every few months. Fat Rod used to have pizza virtually every day of the week.........LOL I predict that not too long from now, you''ll be writing about 45 minutes or an hour on the treadmill!

I''m sorry your computer crashed Zoe. We''ve missed you. That dream is a sign my dear! You should definitely do a 5K in real life!! But you might want to wait until it warms up in your neck of the woods........

I find it so impressive that you can work out at 5 AM Steph! I choose to believe that hour doesn''t exist in real life, although I was painfully aware of that time this morning.......ugh. People watching is a sport at our gym. I used to be so intimidated by the people who work out there. The people are disproportionately ''uber''. So it is kind of fun to watch the ''ubers'' working out.

Gecko, no worries on being up 2 lbs in a day. We tend to move up or down 2 - 3 lbs daily. So, it''s not likely yyour 2 lbs are real. And I''m in the "Join the YMCA" camp (pun intended Lorelei - which by the way was absolutely hysterical and had I had anything in my mouth when I read it, would have wound up across the room........LOL)! For me the gym is my solace. It is truly the only place on the planet where I not only get to do something truly good for myself, but it''s where I can spend 3 hours and not think about anything going on in my life or worry. And that''s a great thing for sure!!

Pizza all day lliang? That must have been some pizza that lasted all day long??!! I''m glad yoga was good last night. Sorry about the snow. It''s gotten cold here too. It''s going to be only about 60 tomorrow......brrrrr! The lobster was great. Thanks!

Your TBT class sounds terrific Apple!!

Again Lorelei.........You cracked me up to the max!!! I''m glad you too are in the join the YMCA group!!

Bread is a big treat to me too Merry. I usually try to eat a healthy whole grain bread these days, but occassionally, I just have to have a sandwich on something fun, like good old sourdough! You''re going to be a winner this year!! Keep up the great work!

How terrific that you''re going to run the 5K in the race for the cure Miscka!! I''ve toyed with running one in February with a coworker of mine.

Resting a sore body can be a good thing panda! Just don''t rest it too long, OK? I''m not a big fan of whole wheat pasta either.........

Hey there dear Skippy! I love the Healthy Choice Steamers. We always have some in the freezer and they''re great to have when I get home from a workout at 9:30 PM. I''m betting you''re the ''bestest" aunt ever! Great choice getting Asics. They''re all I wear. I have one pair for the gym and a higher end pair for running outside.

That does it for me. I sure hope I sleep tonight. I have been known to go through sleepless times in my life. I''m going to shut my laptop down now. I''m not going to open my work mail box and I''m just going to relax till I''m really sleepy.

I just had the tastiest 50 calories, ever! The new Campbells Select Light Soups are good! I had the Italian Vegetable; lots of fiber and Vitamin A, and only 50 calories a serving. I''m stocking up on this stuff! Oh, also no MSG, and light on the sodium.

We went grocery shopping last night; found a great bread, "Nature''s Own" 100% Whole Grain Sugar Free. It doesn''t have artificial sweetners either. Only 50 calories a slice. And lots of fiber.

Date: 1/13/2009 10:43:20 PMAuthor: HollySI just had the tastiest 50 calories, ever! The new Campbells Select Light Soups are good! I had the Italian Vegetable; lots of fiber and Vitamin A, and only 50 calories a serving. I'm stocking up on this stuff! Oh, also no MSG, and light on the sodium.

We went grocery shopping last night; found a great bread, 'Nature's Own' 100% Whole Grain Sugar Free. It doesn't have artificial sweetners either. Only 50 calories a slice. And lots of fiber.

Marc, you silly girl, no offense taken! I know reflux often affects people who are overweight so I was just sharing that my poor husband has had the problem forever, and was extremely underweight as a result. Prilosec has been a lifesaver for him. I''m so glad Marty has found ways to improve.

Rod, John is such a healthy eater, I wish I could get him to workout more, but he just doesn''t make it a priority to find the time. I''m hoping one day it will click and he will.

Tacori, J goes in spurts of doing great and then really hurting. It''s painful to watch him when he''s really hurting, but he seems to be on the mend today.

Panda, I love wheat pasta! It''s amazing what we think we need to eat compared to what makes us feel full. Figuring that out helped me tremendously when losing. So did cooking without leftovers.

I don''t have a job for tomorrow yet, so we''ll see if I''m at a school and doing respite or just doing respite.

Yay, my sister called and wants me to babysit my nephew tomorrow; it looks like I will be watching him every Wed from now on!! Oh I did something good today at Costco; hubby and I met for lunch and I started doing this since they give you a huge slice of pizza and it is about 800 calories, I cut it in half and threw half so I wouldn't eat all 800 calories, yay plus the pizza is inexpensive enough that I don't feel bad. ha! Hubby and I had chicken breast with avocado and a yummy side salad and an apple for desert. Night night all; see you tomorrow.

STEPH, I did notice that I don't crave sugar as much not eating it as often and you are right it does taste too sweet! Yay for all your workouts and losing weight, that is wonderful!!! Yay for no sugar; I will not eat sugar anymore.

PANDA, yay for dress shopping, I bet you look goreous in all of them!! Your meal sounds yummy! I haven't tried those soy bars, i will have to check them out!

DRAGON, I think I will try sprinting! Great challenge! I heard also that if you mix things up your body won't get hold weight as much and helps with plateus so good info, thanks!

DIXIE, great to see you. You can lose it; yay for losing 2 lbs, that is awesome!!!!!!!!!!

APPLE, thanks for getting the recipe thread sticky, I am guessing it was you. Sounds like you are doing awesome with the TBT/PT!!!

LORELEI< yay for the treddy!!

CDNBLINGAL, sounds like you are doing awesome and yay for the 2.2 lbs lost, woo hooo!!!!!!!!!

TACORI, thanks, yay for your walks with adorable Tessa!

DEEJAY, wooo for the PT workout!

HOLLY, oh my goodness, I love Chic fil A, I found cutting out sweetened beverages is a quick way to shave off calories. Great job!

ILUVEMERALDS, yay for your fitness yoga and spinning!!!

ROD, hope you sleep better tonight, you are such a sweet guy!!

KIMI, glad you went to the gym. Oh poor J, hope he feels better soon.

MARCY, yum to pizza and hope Marty feels better soon.

ZOEBARTLETT, oh no, I missed you. Glad to see you and you will do a 5k in the near future!!

GECKO, you will lose, I would do the YMCA and do sparkpeople like others suggest.

LLIANG, yay for yoga!!! I love lentils, it is my new favorite food lately!!

MERRY, keep of the good work and you deserve ever single woo hooo, great job!!! Yay for WW low point bread!

MISCKA, yay for small meals, that is what I do and love it; it really helps with the hunger. Woo hoo for training for a 5 k! Oh gosh, I am so sorry about your aunt, hugs.

Skippy

"The only things that stand between a person and what they want in life are the will to try it, and the faith to believe it's possible" Rich Devos

Rod, I am so sorry to hear about the job for your client fell through.I know you put your heart and soul in to helping place people.That is why you are so good at your job.I understand why you’d toss and turn all night.I used to eat a lot of pizza too.I liked pan pizza with extra cheese.Now I go for thin crust, just enough cheese and leaner meat or no meat at all.I hope to work up to that much time on the treadmill.Sleep well tonight dear Rod.Holly, don’t you love finding tasty food that is low in calories?The soup sounds yummy.Skippy, thank you for sending get well wishes for Marty.Yay for cutting the pizza in half and throwing one half away.I will do that too.When we go to a restaurant I cut something fattening in half and will pour salt on half of it so I won’t eat it.Yippee for getting to babysit every Wednesday.You and your nephew will have a blast.Kimi, I didn’t think I offended you but I just wanted to make sure.Glad to hear J has good results from Priolosec.Marty did okay with it but took Zantec before every meal.I hope you get a teaching job tomorrow.

Good morning. No 5am workout for me today. I have worked out the past 6 days in a row, so I am taking a day off. Tomorrow when I drop Andrew off at school I am going to do a Rod "uber workout"! It is so cold here today, we actually had to turn the heat on last night....brrrr. Hope everyone has a great day!

Tacori, too funny Tessa thinks she''s too big for a stroller!

Apple, yea for all your yoga/cardio workouts!

Merry, I do so much better when I''m not eating lots of bread too.

Miscka, the couch to 5k is a great program. I did it after my son was born and now I love to run. I can do 3 miles no problem now, where as before I could barely do a mile without stopping. Let us know how it''s going!

Panda, I know what you mean about resting your body. You just have to do that every once in a while especially if you are really sore.

Skippy, I will have to check out those steamers. I went up to Costco yesterday too, but didn''t see your message until after. Yea for new clothes and new shoes!

Thank you all so much for the compliments. I do feel really positive. I actually had a treat tonight...BREAD! I had some weight watchers bread with my soup for tea. That was one of my biggest food problems...I ate far too much bread but from last Monday up until today I have had 3 slices in a week. Gone was toast for breakfast...in were the Shreddies. I intend to carry on with a greatly reduced intake of bread.

I would reply to you all individually but I have falllen rather behind even in one day.

But I really do appreciate the comments, they all keep me going. THANK YOU GUYS AND GALS!

I just wanted to congratulate you MM on your weight loss - GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!

GOOD MORNING FRIENDS!!!!! Well, I guess the scale peeps were smiling upon me today, I lost 1.5 lbs, yay so that is 28.5 lbs lost total; just 7 lbs to my goal!!!I am slowly but surely getting there My nephew is coming soon so hopefully we go on a walk; it all depends on how cold it is though. Have a great day all

MARCY, thanks for the kudos on cutting my slice of pizza in half. I was tempted for 2 seconds to eat the whole slice but then thought about how many calories I had left for the day and 300 didn't sound good to me. hehe Yeah, that is what I do, or you could have them bag 1/2 in a doggie bag right away; I do that too sometimes because it would be emabarrasing for me to start eating out of the doggie bag. You are doing awesome, yay for your awesome walks and I agree we will hear about you doing some races!! Oh yeah you did a walk for the Cancer society, well you will be doing runs next, yay!

STEPH, yes, your body needs a rest after 6 days; I take off after 3 days in a row, hehe (I am slack). Yay, how is Andrew liking school?? Wow, what is the temp out there? I heard that is is cold on that side of the US I guess up in the NE it is 0 and 20 for the high, bleh! Oh bummer, I hope they have steamers but at the regular grocery store they have them, the one I tried (they gave me samples in tiny cups to taste) was a chicken margarita and chicken and veggies. I love that they have no preservatives, huge bonus! hehe

GECKO, I have seen the Kashi meals, I think Rod eats them?? I need to check them out; which one do you like? Yay for filling Kashi, I love their cereal and bars and have had those before.

HI MISS LORELEI :)

Skippy

"The only things that stand between a person and what they want in life are the will to try it, and the faith to believe it's possible" Rich Devos

Well the morning didn''t go as planned. My aunt called an invited Andrew over for a playdate with the little boy she watches and she said "why don''t you go workout while they play?" so I decided to go ahead and go. That makes 7 days in a row. I know I need a rest at some point, but I didn''t overdo it. Just 30 mins on the elliptical and a few leg machines. Anyway, have a great day!

Gecko, 7 degrees. I thought it was cold here this morning in the 40s!

Hi, Lorelei

Skippy, yea for your weight loss! That is so awesome, you are almost there! I wish I just had 7 more to go, but I have about 20 or so more to go! It was in the 40s here today. I know that is not cold for most, but it is freezing here. It was in the 80s this weekend!

Last night I hit yoga with my sister again. I met her early at her place and I helped her finish up making chili. We had to leave for yoga, walked there in the snow. It was a tough yoga day but I''m glad we went. Then we hit the grocery store and cabbed it back. Warmed the chili back up with full intentions to eat some, but James came by to pick me up before we could eat. Leena packed a tupperware for James and I to share. She''s the best. :)

For lunch today I had a salad and a cup of chili. Tasty. Dinner tonight will probably be steamed chicken, chinese broccoli and maybe some soup. We''re going to try to hit the 6PM yoga so I can actually eat dinner with James.

Kim, I hope J''s feeling better.

Tacori, Too cute how Tessa thinks she''s too big for the stroller. That makes a lot of sense about not doing daycare during cold/flu season. Mom''s think of everything! :)

Apple, Yay for yoga!!! Hope your uber day was uber :)

Merry, you definitely deserve a treat for how great you''ve been eating. It makes staying on the healthy eating kick more reasonable when you give yourself treats every now and then :)

Miscka, you should totally do the 5K! Is this your first 5K? And the couch to 5K programs are really great to ease you into it. Just pay attention to your body and don''t push yourself more than you should.

Panda, I love whole wheat pasta. James doesn''t like it so much, he said it''s too heavy for him. My sister found some soy bars she really liked called soy joy. It''s quite tasty and a nice small serving size too.

Skippy, Yay! You''ll have your nephew every Weds! It''s great that he loves hanging out with you so much. But I would too if I had a cool Aunt Skippy :) Yay for new shoes! Where did you order them from? I run on Mizunos, and had to switch Pumas this summer because my running shop was out of Mizunos my size. So I learned to always keep a back up pair. :) I love lentils too. I had Indian roommates in college so they gave me the skinny on lentil cooking :) I still bum recipes off them :)

Marcy, Oops you''re right, Apple was the one with the broke oven. I remember now, you had garage door problems. I hope Marty''s neck and shoulder is better. Having a masseuse friend is great! Shucks your cords shrank. Maybe you can let out the hem a little and "hem" it with some nice ribbon or something? I have the opposite problem, I''m short so I''m always hemming my pants. I''ve taken to hemming my sister''s too, since she''s the same height as me. I haven''t called the repair ppl about the broken oven yet. I''m toying with the idea of fixing it myself.

Rod, man that really sucks about your client. I''m really sorry that fell through. That''s been a few in the past few weeks. I hope you stay positive about it. Hope your belated uber day helps you get you mind off things. You should totally do the 5K with your coworker. JP Morgan Chase does a Corporate Challenge every year in different cities. Maybe they have it in yours. Just a thought. It''s still way warmer by you than it is here. Tomorrow it''s supposed to be 1F (straight temperature, wind chill -30F). It''s days like those when I ask myself, "Why do I live in Chicago again?"

Steph, that''s great you were able to sneak in a quick workout. You''re on a roll girl! Impressive!!!

gecko, I hate all this cold weather! Hope it warms up in MI for you soon. We''re about a day behind all your cold weather. I hope you check out the Y. We''re definitely here to keep you motivated and trade ideas etc. I keep telling myself I want to try more quinoa but always forget to buy it at the store. I hear that''s supposed ot be really tasty too. It''d be a nice switch up from lentils.

panda - Pasta is so filling. I always make way too much of it and end up having more than enough to take to work for leftovers the next day. I love pasta though so I usually end up eating a rather huge portion at home when I cook it. I think I may need to cut the portion size down in future!

skippy - I love it when children just LOVE coming to see you. My neices and nephews are growing up now...the eldest two girls are 12 and they both still think I am cool! haha. YAY on th weightloss. You mus be so excited to be so close to goal!

marcy - How is Marty now? The WW bread is very nicr. Made by the warburton''s company. The Nimble bread is also nice, but the slices are so thin!

Rod - Thank you for having so much faith in me! I won''t let you down! LOL

Holly - I love soup. We just stocked up on lots of it. I like to make my own too, a nice WW 0 points soup which is so fillng and yum!

Kimberley - Did you have a job? Or was it just respite in the end? I would love to do respite on the side but not being able to drive is a bit of a problem! I run an afterschool creche on Thursdays for children whose parents are attending annual reviews and I helo out at dance clubs etc but I would love the proper respite sideline. One of the parents in our clas could really do with it.

steph - I realised how different the sensation of being full is after eating bread and after eating other foods last night. After the soup I felt bloated as a result of the bread. All last week eating veg based meals I felt full but not bloated at all.

Geko- Yay for joining a gym. I so need to get back into my regime!

Lorelei - Thank you hun. I hope for continued success!

lliang_chi - Exactly. If I deprived myself I would feel so miserable!

I''ve had a fairy hectic day today. Having a nice tea of a jacket potato and (SHOCK HORROR) grated cheese. It''ll be the first cheese I have eaten wince I started tracking!

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Chee-Chee and Rawse joined the married club on August 26th 2009! Loving life as a very happy newlywed!

Just checking in. I'm still alive (ish). I finally felt good enough to undergo the de-decorating today. All I accomplished was taking down the trees and then hacking up 2 lungs and a spleen. I'm thinking of making a dr's appt.

We're snowed in again. Our neighbor tried to plow out our driveway for us, and DH was able to get out to go to work, but I don't know if he can get back into the drive. Still, I was pleasantly surprised to know that our new neighbor (who we've only spoken to over the fence) was so willing to brave the frigid temp to help us out.

I haven't exercised in over 2 weeks. But, thanks to the incessant coughing, my abs feel like I've done approximately 10,000 crunches! Well, I did want a tighter stomach...

I ended up not doing cardio after work yesterday in favor of spending extra quality time with Edward Cullen...I''m now about halfway through the last Twilight book.

I''m about to go and exercise with my co-worker, however I think I might be on the verge of getting sick b/c I''ve been drinking tons of water today and I usually drink a lot but this is way more than usual, and I''m exhuasted but I''ve had a super busy day. I''ll definitely take some airborne when I get home just in case.

Just finished my workout. I did a 30 minute aerobic module on the TM and did weights for my biceps and chest. I''m done! A little change that I made this week is to purchase low sodium products.

I''ve been preoccupied with one of my fur babies ~ Forest. She''s got hyperthyroidism. She lost a lot of weight in 2 weeks. Only if I had a hyperthyroid that I can switch off and on. Anyways, Marty and I have been observing her since she was diagnosed. She''s been put on a medication but we might need to give her radioactive iodine treatment to cure her hyperthyroidism. She has her wet food in the morning, in 5-10 minutes she vomits. So, now we''re constantly cleaning the carpets. The medication can cause vomiting and nausea but everyday after eating????? I wonder if it''s the food. We''ve taken away the dry food that''s left out. I am thinking of switching the dry food to a "sensitive" dry food or "hairball". Hoping maybe this might help as well. She goes to see the vet on Friday. I will ask what else I can do.

Marty is down and out as well. A couple of weeks ago we had very cold weather and some freezing. Marty slipped but was able to hang onto something.That resulted in a intercostal muscle sprain under his rib cage. He''s in pain but he''s a trooper to still get up and go to work everyday.

Geckodani: I vote for the Y!!!

Zoe: Congrats on being a godmother! We''re god parents to twin girls. It''s such a privilege to be asked. We we''re so honored.

Miscka: YA!YA! for you to start the couch to 5K program again! What an awesome thing for you to do for your aunt.

Panda08: Yummy!! Marty and I love whole wheat pasta. We find it less heavy. We mostly like the spaghetti. More versatile - great for stir frys. We serve meals in small luncheon dishes or soup bowls to decrease the portion sizes too.

Skippy: Woohoo! New tennis shoes - how are they? So cute that your nephew wants to spend quality time with you and now you get to watch him every Wednesday ~ that''s awesome. He''ll keep you on your toes. Congrats on you 1.5lbs weight loss

Marcyc: Hope your Marty is feeling better. I think it will be a couple of weeks before my Marty gets any better. .I love making homemade pizza and Marty loves eating it. I made my dough in the breadmaker;very easy. I use to make a nice bbq chicken with sauteed red/yellow peppers and onions and Greek pizza -- YUMMY!!!! I will make Marty pepperoni too.

Tacori: That is too cute that Tessa thinks she''s too big for her stroller.

HollyS: Awesome finds at Marshalls. When we cross border shop, I love hitting the Marshalls and Ross stores. YaY for keeping up with making better food choices! I''m going to have to find some of that Select Light Soups. It sound delish!

Rod: {HUGS} to you! Hope you get some rest. Hope you had a good ''uber'' workout today!

lliang: Great job going to yoga!!! Walking in the snow is a workout in itself. I am sure it burns a few calories.

Flying in mid week to say hello!! It''s been a CRAZY week so far....teaching all week and tutoring 3-4 kids at night....so tired. BUT...been sticking to my 5am workouts have been making me feel better about my day. It''s been hard to get out of bed for SURE...but it''s a great way to start out my day. (Yes, Steph you''re right...it''s awesome once you''re done...the first 5 mins are kinda hard though!!!) :)

I''m having a battle this week w/carbs for sure, I think its because I''m so tired that I''m craving them like crazy. Despite the fact that I''m packing healthy breakfast and lunches for school..I''m still craving bread, crackers, etc. Thank god for apples, and other fruits that I store in my mini fridge. I think I need to try some extra protein for the rest of the week to up the energry level maybe...

Looks like everyone is having a great week...I wish I had the energy to say hey to everyone...I probably won''t be back ''till the end of the week...more midterms and tutoring then cheer practice to prep for competition (yes I''m a glutton and I coach a cheer squad too! :) )

Lots of love and suppport to everyone until I get back. I''m crossing my fingers for at least a 1lbs loss by next week for me because of all the running around I''m doing!!

Hope everyone has a good night~:)ILE

PS--- to chime in to the Y vs WW thing......I absolutely LOVE my Y membership...so I would vote for the Y!!

I've never been this happy...that's how I know you are THE ONE!!***WE'RE MARRIED!!!:) :) :)***